Screening for newborn babies

Mothers of newborns in the US are offered screenings and tests for their children. This occurs in the first 1-2 days of life, ideally before the newborn is discharged from the hospital. These examinations are designed to pick up a wide range of conditions and diseases, from cataracts in the eyes, dysfunction in the hips, undescended testes, and heart disease, to name a few. 

All newborn babies have a blood spot taken from their heel. This quick test is used to screen for many disorders. It is done soon after birth because early detection of these rare conditions is critical.

Some of the conditions screened for are:

• Homocystinuria
• Isovaleric acidemia
• Maple syrup urine disease
• Medium-chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency
• Cystic fibrosis
• Sickle cell disease
• Congenital hypothyroidism
• Phenylketonuria

Once completed, you will receive the results within the first 6-8 weeks.

Parents are offered a hearing test, usually within the first 4 weeks of life. Commonly this occurs before your baby is discharged from the hospital, but if unable to be fit in, it can also happen in the community once you are home. 

The test is called an 'Automated Oto-acoustin Emission (AOAE) screening'. A soft probe is placed into the baby's ears and noise is released. A machine detects the ability of the inner ear to respond by way of an ‘echo’. The test takes a few minutes and is completely painless. 

If the response is unclear, then they will be referred for further testing called an 'Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR)'. This time electrodes are placed on the baby's head and devices are used to detect the response from the brainstem. This test is relatively quick and painless too but your baby must be awake for it. Any baby who has spent more than 48 hours in intensive care will be automatically referred for the AABR screening. 

Yes. There have been no reported adverse effects from the screening tests carried out on newborn babies. They are highly recommended as they can prevent potentially life-threatening conditions further down the line, and from a personal note, all of us here at Healthwords would recommend screening, and have partaken in it too!